Genetics is a funny thing. It can bless you with a nearly perfect smile, or it can alter your teeth to look like nothing you have ever seen before. Most people fall between these two extremes, having different bite issues or perplexing tooth challenges. Orthodontics in South Africa has seen several fairly common bite issues. There are ways to correct it.
Overbite
An overbite is probably the most common of all bite issues. The top front teeth extend over the bottom teeth and jaw. The problem can be just a few millimeters to half a centimeter, jutting out beyond the bottom teeth.
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Johannesburg Propel Orthodontics corrects this problem by expanding the roof of the mouth to make room for teeth that don't seem to fit. Then the orthodontist uses special brackets and orthodontic elastics to slowly pull the top jaw backward over the bottom jaw. It takes a couple of years to correct in growing children or adolescents.
Underbite
An underbite is far less common, but many patients still present with this issue. The lower jaw juts out farther than the upper jaw. It may make it difficult to speak, chew, or swallow. Again, it may be a very small underbite of just a couple of millimeters to a large underbite of almost a centimeter.
To correct an underbite, the orthodontist has to use orthodontic wires, brackets, and elastics to reshape the lower jaw and slowly train it to recede backward until it falls in line with the upper jaw. Other methods may require surgery, such as removing a small section of bone from both sides of the lower jaw and then securing the end of the remaining piece to end. This approach is considered complete and effective if the underbite disappears and the surgical sites mend.
Crossbite
A crossbite means that the top and bottom jaws do not align at all and may even be fixed in a lateral slide to the left or right. It is incredibly difficult to chew and talk with a crossbite. Most people who have even a slight crossbite tend to accidentally bite the insides of their cheeks often. People with worse crossbites end up with a lot of scar tissue on their inside cheeks as a result.
A crossbite can be fixed with surgery or with orthodontics of the extreme kind. In a procedure that resembles wiring the jaws shut, the patient has to have braces and wires that restrict side-to-side movement for many months, possibly a couple of years. For an evaluation of your bite,
book an appointment or visit Johannesburg Propel Orthodontics, a clinic for orthodontics in South Africa.